Review: No Middle Name – No Middle Name

London duo The Title Sequence released one of the best indie pop albums of 2013 with their debut, ‘Stills’, which stretched from the fey 80’s guitar pop of The Drums to the classic melancholic sounds of The Montgolfier Brothers. Now comes No Middle Name, the “lo-fi dream pop solo project” of one half of The Title Sequence, David Bailey, and it continues in a similar catchy and nostalgic vein.

If The Title Sequence were accused of being nostalgic, then we should all travel back in time thirty years and ensure ‘No Middle Name’ is released by Cherry Red Records. It follows a similar theme to the label’s renowned ‘Pillows and Prayers’ compilation, with the songs lovingly interspersed with samples from children’s television programmes. ‘Another Season’, the single released late last year, enchants with its clever vocal loop and will be the main draw for newcomers but in truth there’s a number of very infectious songs to be enjoyed here. The doleful ‘Feels Like The 90’s Again’ is so sweet and jangly, the song could have more accurately been called ‘Feels Like The 60’s Again’ and the record reaches its peak for the darkly atmospheric couplet, ‘No Sleep’ and ‘From The Barrel Of A Loaded Gun’, where Bailey proves that there’s devilish melody to be had with nagging guitar hooks and boy-girl harmonies.

When the main criticism of Bailey’s debut is that it’s too short and some of the individual songs should last a little longer, then that’s a pretty accurate indicator of a fine album. However, short and sweet are common hallmarks of classic indie pop albums so just sit back and enjoy this shamelessly addictive record.